Akhlaq Mohammed Khan

Akhlaq Mohammed Khan (Hindi: अख़लाक़ मुहम्मद ख़ान ''), who wrote under the pen name Shahryar (शहरयार), was an Indian academician, and a doyen of Urdu poetry in India. As a Hindi film lyricist, he is best known for his lyrics in Gaman (1978), Umrao Jaan (1981) and Anjuman (1986), by Muzaffar Ali. In 2008 he won the Jnanpith Award, which is the highest literary award in India.

Early Life

Khan was born at tehsil Aonla, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. His father was in police force. In his childhood days, Khan wanted to become an athlete but his father wanted him to join the police force. It is then that he ran away from home and was guided by Khalil-ur-Rahman. To earn a living,... more »